views
essay
Compound Problem
Peace a fantasy without concurrent change in Palestinian culture.
A
Accentuating the horror, both the PLO history. The death toll: 37 Israeli civilians,
mid a cascade of daunt-
organized by the P.A. and its chief
Supreme Council for Sport and Youth
including 12 kids.
ing domestic issues and
representative on behalf of the
Affairs and the P.A. National Committee
The abhorrent upshot: P.A. summer
the potential (however
Palestinian people, namely the
camps, along with P.A. public schools,
slight) for rekindled peace talks,
Palestine Liberation Organization for Summer Camps draw from the P.A.
indeed teach kids to view terrorists as
Israel cannot minimize the
(PLO). Camps appeal to kids ages budget. The U.S. supports that budget
role models and to yearn for “martyr-
impact of how Palestinian lead-
6 to 12, a vulnerable and an easily to the tune of upwards of $360 million a
year. Western donor nations surely must
dom.”
ers continue to indoctrinate
influenced age group.
be aghast to learn their gifts of financial
Palestinian maps, of course, routinely
the most fragile and precious of
Confirms Palestinian Media
assistance are being spent so recklessly
show “Palestine” encompassing all of
all Palestinian resources — its
Watch (PMW), an Israeli
Robert Sklar
Contributing Editor
instead of going toward Palestinian
Israel to create the impression among
youth.
watchdog organization: “Many
humanitarian needs — not just food,
impressionable kids that the Jewish state,
Therein lies the shame of it all
Palestinian children participated
housing, schools and medical care, but
an internationally recognized sovereign
when contemplating the future
this summer in camps that pro-
also infrastructure and job incentives.
nation-state of the Jewish people, repre-
moted hate, terror, martyrdom-death
of Israeli-Palestinian relations.
sents “occupation” of Palestinian land —
and denial of the existence of Israel.”
Among Palestinians, thanks to some
and therefore belongs to part of a “uni-
No matter how open senior members
leaders largely bent on destroying Israel,
DERANGED LESSONS
fied Palestinian homeland.”
of Fatah, the Palestinian political faction
the youthful world of innocence is
As an example of how terror is
governing the P.A., seem to prospects for
shoved aside quickly for a culture of dis-
glorified at camp, PMW cites
renewed talks brokered by the Trump
dain and deceit. Not all Palestinians on
a P.A. National Committee for
SOBERING IMPACT
administration, it’s hard to foresee a
the street or in leadership positions have
Summer Camps Facebook
Significantly, PMW, headed by
long-term scenario of peace given such
been swayed by the negative drumbeat,
post from August. Campers are
well-respected founder Itamar
rampant indoctrination. Intensifying that depicted performing a mock ter-
but clearly: Younger generations espe-
Marcus, has found via extensive
unlikelihood is Fatah’s bid to reconcile a
cially radiate the hate, which widens as
ror attack. An Arab girl playing
research that the Palestinian mes-
Palestinian unity agreement with the ter- the part of a terrorist confronts
the population grows.
sage against “the Zionist enemy”
rorist organization Hamas, which rules
The time Israel must invest guarding
a boy playing an Israeli. The
is working. It’s “effective and
Itamar Marcus
the Gaza Strip.
against the ripple effects of a Palestinian
girl proceeds to lie “dead” on
youth aspire to ‘follow the path’ of
Two United Nations agencies, UNICEF the ground with a knife in her
culture infested with hatred could bet-
the terrorists,” according to PMW.
ter be spent tackling such domestic
(United Nations International Children’s
hand as the “Israelis” who “shot”
Despite the odds, I still envi-
challenges as spiraling rents, high taxes,
Emergency Fund) and UNDP (United
her hover. standing beside her. Several
sion a two-state solution to the vexing
border security, wealth gaps, not enough
Nations Development Program), are
children then are shown behind the ter-
problem of Israel still exerting de facto
jobs, absorption issues, bureaucratic
listed on the website of the P.A. National
rorist “martyr” as she lies on the ground
control over millions of Palestinians liv-
jam-ups, battles over who is a Jew and
Committee for Summer Camps, giving
draped with a Palestinian flag, a com-
ing in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and
what’s popularly dubbed grocery-store
the camps legitimacy on the interna-
mon refrain at the funeral of “martyrs.”
the eastern sector of Jerusalem. It’s the
sticker shock, a consequence of a low
tional stage.
In another example, PMW cited an
only practical way to imagine the future.
rate of food imports.
While the P.A. National Committee for
article in the official P.A. daily newspaper,
Even if a peace plan agreeable to both
Summer Camps promises “recreational
Al Hayat Al Jadida. The article notes that
sides somehow could be negotiated, after
activities aimed to develop the
FORMATIVE CURRENTS
groups in one Jericho district
so many failed attempts, the Palestinian
Palestinian child in various
camp are named after “martyr”
It’s bad enough Palestinian youth learn
intention to teach younger generations
fields,” its camps have proven a
leaders Yasser Arafat, Ghassan
intolerance toward anyone or anything
to consider Jews and Israel as vermin
crucible for glorifying terror and
Kanafani, Dalal Mughrabi, Khalil
tied to the Zionist cause. Such thinking
would linger. And because these gen-
terrorists, for encouraging “mar-
Al Wazir and Laila Khaled — all
erations represent the future of the
permeates sermons, textbooks, music
tyrdom for Allah” by murdering
recognized terrorists. Fatah,
Palestinian people, hope for a durable
videos, TV shows, billboards, news
Zionists and for imagining a
meanwhile, has named a camp
peace sadly seems ever elusive.
reports, public squares and sports tour-
Middle East where “Palestine,”
after Mughrabi, who led the
A peace plan with no antidote to such
naments within the territory controlled
the desired Palestinian state,
1978 Coastal Road massacre, the
government-nurtured seeds of loathing
by the Palestinian Authority (P.A.).
Dalal Mughrabi
has consumed Israel.
deadliest terror attack in Israel’s
would forever be hollow. •
The call also haunts summer camps
Contributing Writers:
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Burstyn, Suzanne Chessler, Annabel Cohen, Don
Cohen, Shari S. Cohen, Shelli Liebman Dorfman,
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Ingber, Allison Jacobs, Barbara Lewis, Jennifer
Lovy, Rabbi Jason Miller, Alan Muskovitz,
David Sachs, Karen Schwartz, Robin Schwartz,
Steve Stein, Joyce Wiswell
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September 28 • 2017
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